Z&W Shanghai Kitchen — Restaurant in Vancouver

In mid-March, right before the whole coronapocalypse closed up all of the restaurants in town (other than take-out), we dropped by Z&W Shanghai Kitchen on West Broadway, near Arbutus. For the longest time, this location used to be the home of an all-you-can-eat Japanese place. Upon walking inside, we immediately noticed the improvements to the decor… including the elegantly adorned wall.

As dine-in eating had slowed down in the weeks leading up to our visit, this place wasn’t too busy at all. Perhaps that’s why the food came out so quickly after we ordered it.

Being a Shanghainese restaurant, we decided to start off with Hot and Sour Soup ($5.98) and then move over into the Xiao Long Bao ($8.98). The shrimp in the hot and sour soup was soooo good… plump and not overcooked at all.

Next up was the Coconut Chicken Fried Rice ($15.98) which came in an overflowing half pineapple. This was the perfect accompaniment to the next two dishes that we ordered.

We don’t eat Mapo Tofu ($10.98) that often but, every now and again, we get a craving for it. This was a good dish with a nice spice level… a nice heat level but not numbingly spicy.

Last up was the Mui Choy Kau Yuk ($25.98) or fatty pork belly with preserved mustard greens. We love ordering this dish but it’s sometimes difficult to find. We liked how the pork was thinly sliced and mostly tender (some places serve the pieces a bit too thick and it winds up not being as melt-in-your-mouth as it should be).

Overall, pretty good Shanghainese restaurant.

UPDATE - February 2025: It's been about 4 years since our last visit and not sure why we took so long to come back. They have done some minor updates since we were last here with the addition of traditional Chinese wooden tables (I kept bumping my knees on the table).

We liked the mui choy kau yuk last time so we ordered it again... Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables ($27.98). The thin yet fatty pork belly melts in your mouth and it's perched on preserved mustard greens. It came out really fast so they must have this prepared ahead of time. Best to eat this savory dish with rice.

We ordered the Coconut Chicken Fried Rice again ($19.98) but were sad to see it didn't come served in a hollowed out pineapple like last time.

The Shanghai Xiao Long Bao ($11.98) was good. The wrapper is slightly thicker than at Dinesty but the filling is good as it's meaty and juicier.

A new dish we tried was the Wok Grilled Chiba Tofu ($22.98). Chiba tofu is smoother than regular tofu and reminds me of the texture of fish tofu. I really liked...

In mid-March, right before the whole coronapocalypse closed up all of the restaurants in town (other than take-out), we dropped by Z&W Shanghai Kitchen on West Broadway, near Arbutus. For the longest time, this location used to be the home of an all-you-can-eat Japanese place. Upon walking inside, we immediately noticed the improvements to the decor… including the elegantly adorned wall.

As dine-in eating had slowed down in the weeks leading up to our visit, this place wasn’t too busy at all. Perhaps that’s why the food came out so quickly after we ordered it.

Being a Shanghainese restaurant, we decided to start off with Hot and Sour Soup ($5.98) and then move over into the Xiao Long Bao ($8.98). The shrimp in the hot and sour soup was soooo good… plump and not overcooked at all.

Next up was the Coconut Chicken Fried Rice ($15.98) which came in an overflowing half pineapple. This was the perfect accompaniment to the next two dishes that we ordered.

We don’t eat Mapo Tofu ($10.98) that often but, every now and again, we get a craving for it. This was a good dish with a nice spice level… a nice heat level but not numbingly spicy.

Last up was the Mui Choy Kau Yuk ($25.98) or fatty pork belly with preserved mustard greens. We love ordering this dish but it’s sometimes difficult to find. We liked how the pork was thinly sliced and mostly tender (some places serve the pieces a bit too thick and it winds up not being as melt-in-your-mouth as it should be).

Overall, pretty good...

Z&W Shanghai kitchen brings shame to Shanghai cuisine.

Let me start by saying I am shanghainese, I brought my mom here to try their food because we were craving some good shanghainese food, and decided to try this place instead of our usual “Top Shanghai” or “Dong Tai Xiang” which are both 5 stars for my mom and I.

Upon ordering, the first tofu/veggie dish I was served a rock which I bit down on.

The spring rolls were shocking. We were served some Costco style spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, this was the most disappointing thing I’ve ever seen.

Shanghainese spring rolls are filled with Napa cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and some pork. Served with a side of Black Vinegar.

When I asked the server (older lady with green and gold glasses) if these were shanghainese spring rolls, she yelled at me in mandarin

“WHERE DOES IT SAY THEYRE SHANGHAINESE SPRING ROLLS? THE MENU JUST SAYS VEGGIE SPRING ROLLS”

She was rude, dismissive, and looked so miserable.

Correct me if I’m mistaken, if your restaurant’s name is “SHANGHAI KITCHEN” people coming here would be expecting SHANGHAI food.

Next onto the SHANGHAINESE WONTONS,

My god they were mushy and way overcooked.

We ate one bite of everything and left.

Currently going to another restaurant to have an actual...